Girdle



oct. 1o, 1939. M R! SMARR Y 2,175,786

GIRDLE Filed Feb. 5, 1937 morrz'l Smart'.

Patented Oct. 10, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in wearing apparel, especially in the class of girdles and its objects are as follows:

First, to provide an improvement in girdles and 5 corsets permitting the use of sanitary napkins with such girdles and corsets, thus making the wearing of a sanitary belt unnecessary.

Second, to provide a girdle or similar garment,

, which embodies an improvement that enables i said garment to be worn either as a girdle or as a support for a sanitary napkin.

Third, to provide a girdle wherein the foregoing characteristics are obtained principally by the making of a small aperture both in the front and back of the -girdle and attaching a small grip device to the girdle adjacent to each aperture, the ends of the napkin being threaded through the apertures and grip devices in such a n manner as to hold firmly yet be capable of any ZO needed adjustment, said girdle being made of elastic material thereby imparting contractability to the aperture and causing the latter to exercise a gripping function upon the respective end of the napkin.

25 Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the improved girdle and illustrating its use,

" Figure 2 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a detailed elevation of one of the grip devices, particularly illustrating its relationship to the aperture.

35 One of the foremost purposes, as briefly pointed out in the foregoing statements of the objects of the invention, is to avoid the use of commonly known sanitary belts. These are usually narrow and are prone to slip out of position, much to the 40, discomfort of the wearer. The instant girdle preserves all of the features of advantage of known girdles, and has added to it means for the easy support of a bandage.

In carrying out the foregoing invention the "i girdle, commonly designated i, comprises a substantially tubular elastic foundation 2, the specic characteristics of which are not so material to the invention, excepting that its elasticity is a contribution toward the working of the inven- 50 tion.

Grip devices 3, 4 are attached to the front and back of the foundation 2. One of these devices is shown in detail in Fig, 3. Here the device 3 comprises an elongated metal piece 5, generally v5 in the form of a loop. The top shank 6 is narrow (Cl. 12S-28S) as compared with the bottom shank l, the latter being made sufficiently wide so as to provide adequate material on which to form the oppositely directed sets of teeth 8, 9 respectively on the inside and outside edges of the shank.

Any type of roughing can be adopted in lieu of the specific teeth shown inasmuch as the sole purpose of the roughing is to set up a frictional hold on the ends I0 of the bandage II when fitted in place. The top shank 6 is used as the place of attachment of the grip device to the foundation 2, The specific mode of attachment comprises a doubled elastic strip I2 which is sewed or otherwise affixed at I3 to the foundation. 15

But it is not essential in all instances to make the attachment of the grip device permanent. The metal piece 5 can be of such a type as to enable its detachment from the foundation. However, in most instances, there will be no actual need for detachment because the grip devices lie so closely to the foundation that their presence is not apparent through the garments worn thereover. Each grip device, whether of the non-detachable or detachable type, is suspended from the foundation closely adjacent to an aperture I4. This is nothing more than a common button hole, and the margins of the aperture press against each other so that it will be under tension, so to speak, this because of the inherent elasticity of the foundation itself. This feature is valuable in that the contractability of the aperture causes it to exercise a gripping function upon the tape end I0. In order to prevent undue sagging and enlargement of the apertures the latter have cloth or equivalent reinforcements I8 on the inside of the garment.

In applying the bandage Il (Fig. 2), each end I0 is first inserted into and drawn through the aperture I4 from the inside of the garment, as 0 indicated at I5, then carried up in back of the bottom shank 1, passed through the opening of the grip device, and is then carried down front and back through the aperture I4, as indicated at I6. The teeth 8, 9 will actually engage both por 45 tions of the respective end Il) closing the shank 1 above and below.

Since the margins of the aperture I4 are under tension, as already stated, there is an appre ciable pressure upon the portions I5, I6 because 50 of the elasticity of the foundation material. It is important to note that the ends I0 are initially applied to the foundation 2 from the inside. Further, that said ends ultimately lie between the portions I'I of the bandage and the adjacent 55 lower parts of the foundation. This close conjunction of the fabric elements coupled with the grip on the bandage that the teeth 8, 9 aords, insures the retention of the bandage under every circumstance without the use of any other fastening device whatsoever.

A further advantage lies in the fact that the ends I0 are easily adjustable before the bandage is nally set in position, any necessary adjustment, however, preferably being made in the initial setting of the bandage.

Because of the inherent elasticity of the foundation 2, assuming this to be of the elastic type, the bandage l I is yieldably supported and readily adapts itself to the movements of the wearer. The superimposition of the lower portions of the foundation 2 upon the upper parts of the bandage serves to smooth said parts down in close fitting contact.

In conclusion it is desired to mention the personal comfort which results from Wearing the instant girdle. The girdle remains in place at all times because of its inherent nature, and

thus constitutes a reliable foundation for the suspension of the bandage.

No adjustment of the latter is necessary when the wearer arises from a sitting position. No pull on the bandage is felt and the bandage will not chafe the body, all because of the girdle construction.

I claim:

A girdle comprising an elastic foundation having diminutive apertures in the front and back, being contractible because of said elasticity, a unitary grip device respectively on the front and back of the foundation, each grip device comprising a single rigid loop including top and bottom shanks, and means attaching the top Shanks to the foundation so as to suspend the respective bottom shank contiguously to the aperture so that the end of a bandage tightly drawn through the aperture, through the loop and back through the aperture will be frictionally held by the contractability of said aperture.

MORRIS R. SMARR. 

